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Eranomous' Story Part Four
WARNING! This part contains violence and Gore. Keep in mind when reading. ' Wings of Fire Eranomous' Story PART 4 * by RhynoBullraq, Feb 9, 2016, 12:50:45 PM * Literature / Fan Fiction / Fantasy ''Written by: RhynoBullraq Edited by: A.T. Peluso ''Based on the World and Characters created by Tui T. Sutherland '' '''Chapter 7: Eranomous It had been a couple of tiring days since Earthquake’s death. The group made sure to travel at night and sleep during the day to help avoid weather conditions and being spotted. They hadn't run into any other dragons since Earthquake stayed behind, so they all assumed the MudWing was successful, despite Krona saying he was dead. By the time the sun was rising, the group had finally made it to '' ‘The Oasis on the Path of Peace’'' , with the distinct palm trees forming an X. Eranomous watched as Weed bounded over to the water and jumped right in, giggling with excitement. Skylis followed after her, seeming almost as excited. "It looks exactly how I imagined it!”His brer exclaimed taking in the scenery. Eranomous looked over the oasis and couldn't help agreeing with him. As excited as Eranomous was, he still felt bothered by an unanswered question. ‘How did Krona know Earthquake died?’ He had tried to open the conversation up a few times, but Krona always responded the same way. “Can we wait till we get to the Oasis before we have this talk?” Then she would close up. Eranomous knew this was his time for answers. “Hey Krona... hold on for a moment." "Hm..." Krona stopped and looked back at him. "What's up, Era?" Eranomous looked down at his claws, suddenly feeling nervous. "You… never explained to us how you knew Earthquake was dead... and you said you would tell us when we got to the Oasis... and here we are..." ‘Uggh…That could’ve came out better…’ Krona sat down and sighed. "I knew this would come up sooner or later… yeah... about that..." She turned gazing towards the rising sun. He couldn’t help but noticed something sorrowful in her eyes. "I'm not fully sure why... but when dragons that I've touched… die... I see and experience their whole lives in a quick flash... I feel all the feelings and emotions that they felt... good and bad." "What, how is that possible!?" Eranomous wasn't sure what her answer was going to be, but he never actually thought it would be something quite like that. ‘That sounds… kind of awful.’ "Have you always been able to do that?" The IceWing shook her head. "No... It didn't start until Cactushide, the SandWing my Father left me with, was butchered by Outclaws..." She narrowed her eyes. “He lived through so much… just to die retrieving food for me… I can’t tell you how horrible I felt. I kept telling myself that I just made the whole thing up… so I went out to find him… I only managed to find a few parts of him though…” "Oh..." Eranomous frowned at the thought. She has to live other dragon’s deaths… that’s just horrible. "Do you think your Father will know why that happens to you?" Krona began towards the pond, lowering her head with a sigh. "I really don’t know... maybe. Anyways can we change the subject... I'm really tired and just want some sleep." "Yeah... of course... Sorry for bringing it up…" He couldn't help but feel bad now. I shouldn't press any further with this, it's apparent she doesn't like talking about it... Eranomous shook himself off, feeling tiredness tugging at his eye lids from the long journey as well. When Eranomous lowered himself to take a drink from the pond Weed poked her head out of the water and squirted a stream of water at him. "Gotcha!" She giggled. Eranomous blinked a few times, unsure how to react. Does she want to play with me or something?' "Weed?" The SeaWing tilted her head. "You looked really serious, soooo... I wanted to make you smile." She grinned widely, causing him to smile back unconsciously. "Hehe, you’re so silly, Weed." Eranomous felt his heart warming up again. '''How is she so adorable yet so beautiful at the same time...?' ''He found himself getting lost in her eyes again. ‘''I could get lost in these eyes forever…’ That’s when his Brother’s voice broke the silence, snapping his attention away. "Are we really gonna rest here?" Skylis seemed a little distressed. "I mean… surely when the sun fully rises we won't be able to sleep due to the sunlight, and we'll be exposed to sunburn, and we'll stick out to other dragons, and..." Krona roared, seeming annoyed. "RED! Enough with the ANDS!" The IceWing laid down close to the trees, making herself comfortable. "If the sun is rising over in the north-ish direction we can expect these trees to cast a decent shadow on us for a while. So we should be fine from sunburn for the majority of the time we sleep... as for dragons... We can keep a watch system." Skylis' ears perked. "You're right, that's a good idea. I'll take first watch cuz I’m not that tired yet, who do I wake up for second watch and who’s on third watch?" Krona shrugged curling herself in the sand, ready to sleep. "Sure, I'll take second watch." She paused a moment then glanced over at Eranomous and Weed. "Eranomous you got third watch…‘kay?" Eranomous groaned to himself. ‘Less sleep… great.’ "Oh... Okay." "Hey Era,” Weed squeaked. “Do you mind if I snuggle with you?" Weed pulled herself from the pond and crawled under his limp wing, nuzzling close to him. Eranomous felt himself blushing wildly. "I don’t mind, go right ahead..." 'There my heart goes again… how am I gonna get any sleep now?’ Weed wrapped her tail around his and pressed her head against his chest. "I like listening to your heart beat... it's so relaxing." "Weed..."The SkyWing whispered. "I've really never felt like this before..." "Me either..." She took a deep breath. "Era... can you hold me close again?" Eranomous noticed his brother looking over at him with a slightly surprised look, it was quickly replaced by a genuine smile however, before he then nodded and turned away. Eranomous wasn't sure what to make of that. ‘Can Sky see how I feel about Weed?’ He smiled and looked down at the SeaWing, wrapping his fore legs around her. "Tell me if you become uncomfortable." Weed smiled and closed her eyes. "Never let me go Era…' "Never." He slowly closed his eyes as well, feeling warm all over. '''I truly love her... I wonder if my Father felt this strongly about my Mother. The SkyWing felt himself calm down and before he knew it, he was asleep. It seemed like only mere moments went by before he awoke to Krona shaking him awake. "Era... it's your shift." She whispered. Eranomous would've assumed that the IceWing was joking, but the sun was high in the sky glaring down from above with fury. "Oh... Okay..." He said drowsily, rubbing his eyes. He raised his head trying to wake himself up, Come on Era... wake up... His eyelids closed again feeling heavier than before. Maybe just a little longer... He got lost in thought for what felt like a whole two seconds before an alarm went off in his head. Wake up Era! Everyone is counting on you to keep them safe. He forced his eyes open and immediately found himself face to face with a hissing SandWing. "AAAAAA-" Eranomous began to scream but the SandWing grabbed his snout and forced it shut so hard he felt like his jaw would lock shut. He strained to glance around at the others, lashing his tail. To his horror, he saw his friends getting tied up and bashed over the head. Krona... Skylis... Eranomous tried to struggle to his feet, but the SandWing twisted his snout, forcing him to fall on his side. He tried to scratch the dragon’s talons off, quickly realizing his limbs were bound with rope. No no no no no no no... this can't be happening! He twisted his head to see Weed still fast asleep. I failed everyone... I failed Weed. Then he felt something hard smash against the back of his head causing him to black out. ~~~~~~~~ Chapter 8: Eranomous When Eranomous awoke his head was ringing and his stomach was in knots. With a quick glance around, he realized he was in a dark room, the only light coming from the barred door ahead of him. ‘Where are the others?’ "Era, you're awake!" He heard Weed squeak, bounding over and hugging him tightly. "I was so worried about you!" Eranomous breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Weed’s okay!’ The SkyWing looked past her, seeing Krona and Skylis glaring at him in disappointment. He felt his heart sink. They definitely blame me for this… I guess it is my fault... I’m such an idiot... Eranomous cleared his throat and looked at Weed. "I'm so sorry... this is all my fault..." Krona growled. "Why didn't you tell me that you couldn't watch!?" She turned away lashing her tail. Skylis shook his head judgmentally, not saying a word. "I just..." Eranomous began, then stopped, knowing nothing he could say would fix the current situation. Weed sat back and patted his shoulder, looking at him with hope. "It's okay...we'll figure this out." ‘She’s so optimistic… I wish I could be more like her.’ Suddenly, an unfamiliar husky voice spoke up from the other corner of the room. "My my, you lot are very fascinating… But I already told the little one that no one gets out of BlackTalon Pass alive." A SandWing a little bigger then Krona stepped out. His body was toned and his scales were an odd sooty color, except for his talons and face which were a pleasant light sandy color. He had no visible scars on him and his eyes were like most SandWings, black as night. Eranomous felt uncomfortable as the SandWing's dark eyes glistened in the sunlight at him. I didn't even see him in here! Krona cursed under her breath. "Weed! You didn’t tell us he was in here… And you didn’t tell us that we’re in BlackTalon Pass!” The IceWing swung her tail against the wall in rage. “...These are the Outclaws that killed Cactushide..." She shook her head trying to make the memories disappear. "These dragons are horrible..." Weed laughed awkwardly. “Oops, mentioning him just slipped my mind.” Skylis stepped towards the SandWing cautiously. "Who are you?” "My name is Dustdevil, I was captured while trying to collect supplies to sell back home." The SandWing sighed, slumping his shoulders. "I got cocky and thought I could collect supplies by myself… so I travelled ahead of my family to this area. I was just so determined to show them I could do the job myself... and now I'll probably never see them ever again. I’ve seen several dragons go already… so the next one they pull from here will most likely be me…” Weed stomped one of her talons down. "Don't worry Dustdevil! We're gonna get out of here, we just need a plan." Dustdevil chuckled. "I like your spirit, you know-" Before he could say another word Krona shushed them. “Hide!” The IceWing moved against the side wall, trying to get out of sight. "I hear Outclaws coming." Everyone quickly moved back into the shadows, making themselves seem as small as possible. Eranomous felt fear creeping up his legs causing him to shiver. ‘Three Moons… What do we do?’ Suddenly, a thin adult SandWing tripped in front of the door with a loud thud. He quickly scrambled to his feet, dusting himself off. "Oh my how clumsy of me..." His voice was wobbly. The SandWing looked awkward, his scales were a simple light sandy yellow and he had a few visible scars including an almost bite sized chunk missing from his crest. He wore a small leather drape around his neck and an odd looking thing looped on his snout with two small, almost transparent circles attached to the ends. He kept removing the odd thing on his snout and wiping the circles off and putting them back on, squinting through them. He then cleared his throat and opened his mouth. "Well hello... um where are you all? Hello... May I see the SkyWings in here?" Krona scoffed from the shadows. "Ha, Yeah right! You're not coming anywhere near any of us creep!" Skylis spoke up next. "What do you want with us?" "Oh my..." The SandWing stepped back in surprise. "I don't want to hurt you, I just thought I saw a SkyWing with... deformities..." Skylis stepped forward and spat at the SandWing. "If you dare try to touch my Brother I will tear your head off! That's a promise..." The SandWing’s face lit up. "That helmet! I knew it, you two are Alter's boys, aren't you!?" He looked around seemingly trying to spot Eranomous. "I'm Morbid, I taught your Father the craft of making… Oh what did he call them... DoWhats!" Eranomous and Skylis looked shocked. "What!?" Eranomous stepped forward next to his brother. "You are THE SandWing our Father talked about!?" He couldn't help but feel excited now. "This is fantastic, you're with the Peac-" Morbid put his claws up and shushed them. "Sssshhhhhh! Don't bring up the P-e-a-c-e-Wings here... you never know who's listening." He looked around nervously and then back to the SkyWings. "Listen, I asked if I could examine you, Eranomous… and they said yes... If I could take you both out I would but I only got permission for the one of you… so come on." Before Eranomous could respond Skylis growled. "What, hold on... can't you get us out of this place!?" Krona slammed her tail down. "Yeah and what do you mean, Examine him?" "Calm yourselves, please!" Morbid cried, glancing around nervously again. "It's not that easy... Look I have to be careful with what I say here... Ears everywhere! It doesn’t help that the leader of these Outclaws doesn’t’ like me as it is. If I start doing anything suspicious… I’m dead." "I trust him." Weed chirped, turning to Krona "Plus, Eranomous can try to find us a way out of here if he goes with him." Dustdevil laughed and curled up in his corner again. "You lot are hilarious... I'm just going to lie here till a juicy opportunity is presented to ME." He sighed with amusement. Krona shot him a glare. “''So'' helpful.” She then looked back to the others. "Fine... but if this results in Era's death just remember that I was against it..." Weed gasped and nudged the IceWing. “Krona! Don’t talk like that.” Eranomous felt himself become nervous. If I go with him I definitely could figure a way out of this place... then maybe everyone would forgive the fact that I got us into this mess. That thought was enough to convince himself to go. "Okay... I'll go with you." Skylis extended his wing out in front of him. "Era no! You don't know what these dragons might do to you. Not to mention-" "Skylis, I got us in this mess... The least I could do is figure out a way to get us all out of it..." Eranomous looked determinedly at his brother. His Brother looked stunned for a moment, pulling his wing back, then nodded seeming to understand, reluctantly stepping out of the way. Morbid grinned awkwardly. "Great, everyone step back while I open this gate... if anyone tries to run while this gate is open... then you'll have to deal with the others... and I assure you, they are very mean." The gate swung open, allowing Eranomous to step out of the cell and into a tight alleyway. He took one last look back to his friends. I'll find a way to get you all out. His eyes met with Weed’s and he felt his heart ache. I don't want to leave her... but I have to.' '' Morbid closed the gate and nudged Eranomous gently. "Stick close m'boy and keep your appendages to yourself... bumping into others here is a sure way to get that appendage removed." "Okay..." Eranomous followed the SandWing down and out of the alleyway. Eranomous was surprised by what he could see of the town, the buildings were very tight together and appeared to be made of hardened sand. There were also many tents set up with venders selling trinkets and food. It was only then that Eranomous realized how many dragons were there, scores upon scores of dragons walked along the street. ‘How am I going to keep my appendages to myself…there’s no room to walk!?’ "Stay right on my tail… and try not to step on anyone’s tail." Morbid suggested, stepping into the swarm of SandWings. Eranomous nodded and followed after him, feeling overwhelmed. Every step he took he bumped into a different SandWing, keeping his eyes fixed on the back of Morbid’s head. While they made their way through, Morbid kept calling out to the crowds, things like, "Clear the way, Excuse me, sorry... sorry. " and only every few SandWings seemed to actually notice him. The SkyWing couldn't think with all this noise around him and dragons hitting into him. He just wished it would stop. ‘I am not used to this many dragons in one place… It’s so overwhelming…’ Morbid seemed to break free from the crowd by ducking into another alleyway, waiting for him to catch up. “Come on, Era! My tent is just over here!” Eranomous quickly squeezed out of the crowd and into the alleyway that Morbid was in. "Don't worry m’boy, no more crowds." Morbid said with delight, leading Eranomous down the short alley into a large sandy clearing. Eranomous was still uncomfortable, but at least he felt like he could breathe again. The SkyWing looked around the clearing. It looked messy with odd looking tools strewn about, along with a few large objects under dirty tarps. Straight ahead of them was a lone, large, dark colored tent. "That is me." Morbid sauntered over with a smile and opened the tent with his tail, “After you.” Eranomous took a deep breath and entered, unsure of what was going to happen next. ''‘I hope he doesn’t just kill me now…’ ''When his eyes adjusted to the lighting, he felt his heart jump with excitement. '''So many... DoWhats! All over the tent hanging on racks or just laying around were odd contraptions and devices that Eranomous never could’ve imagined. From odd looking blades, to strange looking clothes, to things Eranomous could only assume made life easier in some way. This SandWing truly was the dragon their Father learned from. "Wow... this is incredible.” Eranomous was visibly awestruck. Morbid chuckled and sat in front of a large tarp covering something on the tent wall. "It's nice to meet someone else who appreciates my craft, unlike the cactus for brains around here." "How are other dragons not amazed by this stuff!?" Everywhere Eranomous looked there was something new to grab his attention. Eranomous spotted an open scroll with a few cloak designs and the Peacewing’s symbol sketched out. “This is the designs you used to make the Peacewing’s cloaks and symbol!” “Yes, I had to figure out how to make a symbol that signified unity AND I had to make each cloak durable to the specified dragon tribe.” The SandWing lit up. “For example, Mandrake… the MudWing Tribe leader’s cloak had to be able to recover from mud damage easier. Norse’s cloak… the IceWing Tribe leader… was made to handle harsh snow conditions… and I think you get the idea… Oh and Alter, your Father, helped me make them.” Eranomous nodded, still looking the scroll over. “This is so incredible.” The SandWing sighed to himself. “Yes… to be honest… I didn’t hear about Alter’s death until just recently… I asked the last Peacewing that swung by here how he was doing and… yeah…” “It feels like he died forever ago… it was so hard, not having him around…” Eranomous took a deep breath. Morbid wrapped his tail around the SkyWing’s. “I’m so sorry that you had to grow up without him... he was truly a good dragon.” Eranomous nodded his head. “Yeah… It’s okay… my friends and I are currently following the Path of Peace to find the Peacewings… so we can be safe from all this…” “That’s a good idea… I sometimes wonder if I should’ve done that years ago… but I always wonder… how many dragons would die if I didn’t stay here…” The SandWing itched his neck and shrugged. “...Anyways, Eranomous, yes? You're Father told me about you actually..." Eranomous tilted his head at the SandWing. "Really, what did he say about me?" "He told me how his youngest little dragonet couldn't fly... due to deformities…" He explained. Oh… I should've assumed what he said would pertain to my deformities.''’ Morbid continued. "He told me to make something for you... to perhaps fix this flight issue. I told him it probably was impossible, but that I would at least try...” He sighed. “But your Father never returned to see what I created and I didn’t know he was dead... so I kept readjusting the size, just in case he came by to pick it up." The SandWing pulled the cover off whatever was hung up, revealing very elegant and beautifully crafted artificial wing bones. One side was fully extended showing off the brilliant length and the other wing was folded in, very realistically. "What!?" Eranomous felt tears forming in his eyes. '''Father... you wanted me to be able to fly. "This is... for me?" Morbid smiled and nodded. "I’ve had no real way of testing them... but my research behind these attachable wings are near flawless… the idea is, that the wing phalanges will be pierced down onto your wings… these of course will be connected to the wing carpus and metacarpus. How will it work you ask? Well I have built a complex system of cords all through the wing radius and wing humorous, that connect to this adjustable vest. So when you try to move your wings, those cords will pull in different ways, allowing for you to tuck your wings in, spread your wings out, and flap… You’ll probably have to practice… but it should work." He sounded very proud of his work, even if Eranomous didn’t understand half of what he just said. "Would you like to try them on?" Eranomous felt his heart leap with excitement. "Yes, of course!" He wanted to pull the wings down himself and start figuring them out, but he knew he better wait. ‘With my luck I’d probably break them…’ "Fantastic!" The SandWing began to disconnect a few things from the center vest and then handed it to him. "Firstly put this leather harness on and make sure it's nice and tight." Eranomous looked it over, unsure of where to begin. Then he recalled the black harness that Earthquake wore. Oh, just put it on like that! He quickly slipped his cloak off and then began putting the harness on. "I'm so excited!" Morbid smiled for a moment, then it looked like something occurred to him. "Hmm... Let me quickly measure your wingspan, I might have to modify the length a little." "Go ahead." Eranomous waved a claw seeming completely focused on trying to tighten the belts on the harness. "Please step more to the right so I can get the full length of your wing." Morbid lifted his limp wing and began extending it to its fullest. Eranomous stepped one step too far and bumped into a small make shift desk covered in scrolls and supplies, knocking a few things off onto the carpeted floor below. "Oops, I'm sorry... I'll pick those up!" Morbid shook his head, concentrating on measuring. "'Tis fine, feel free to look at any of that stuff if you want, you might find it interesting... just be careful not to set any of it on fire…I did notice a few embers coming from your odd black skin." "Uh huh, I’ll be careful." Eranomous picked the scrolls up and set them down. ‘There… no harm done.’ Eranomous noticed something out of the corner of his eye. One of the scrolls laid open with a few rough sketches of an expressionless mask. Eranomous felt his blood run cold and his heart stop. This mask... His mind flashed with images of the dragon who killed his mother. Morbid… made his mask!? "Morbid..." The SandWing hardly looked up, still seeming focused on measuring."Who did you make this mask for?" Eranomous felt himself shaking with a deep fear. ‘Who is the dragon under this mask?’ "Hmm, what mask?" Morbid looked up, raising a brow. Eranomous lifted the scroll. "This one..." The SandWing adjusted himself and squinted. "Oh that one… uggh, I made that for some SandWing... probably around your brother's age... he was the pickiest dragon I have ever met... change this, change that... blah! He also made me make a bunch of tail toppers... because he lost his barb or something." He shrugged his shoulders. “He refused to give me his name, but promised he’d be back. Which he always is…” Eranomous opened another scroll seeing the concepts designs for the tail toppers. The sight of the toppers sent chills down the SkyWing’s spine. The first design was a simple metal SandWing barb shaped one, the second one resembled an IceWing’s tail that could fold up for more convenient travel, the third was an axe and hammer combined into one this one looked like the heaviest but most brutal one, and then the final one he recognized, it was the one that the dragon used on his Mother. The contraption was shaped like a dragon's jaws with compartments for holding burning coals inside. The scroll described how the coals heated the metal up, causing severe damage to any dragon between its jaws. ‘Morbid designed the weapon that killed my mother…’ Eranomous felt a tear fall from his eye. ‘This world is sick…’ "This dragon killed my Mother..." Morbid dropped the ribbon he was using to measure. "He what!?" He exclaimed, then fumbled to pick the ribbon back up. "Eleanor is... your Mother is dead!?" Eranomous nodded. "I didn't know if I imagined the Masked Dragon... but this proves it.” He paused. ‘I knew I didn’t kill her… Weed was right! I’m not crazy.’ “Morbid I need to know who this dragon is." "I already told you I don't know his name... BUT he should actually be here any day now! You see... I just finished that hammer slash axe thing the other day. He might be a paying customer, but I promise you... I won't stand for my creations being used to kill my friends!" Morbid looked upset. ‘What do I do now?’ Eranomous felt torn now. ‘Do I stay to confront him or do I just get us out of here like I planned…?’ He couldn't get the masked dragon out of his head now. ‘I could wait for him here… and kill him, but what if these Outclaws hurt my friends… I can’t let that happen…’ Morbid sighed. "Well... on a lighter note, your wings are the perfect size to the bones I made... the next thing I must do now, is begin piercing your wings so I can begin applying." That caught his attention. "Pierce my wings… what?" Morbid waved a claw. "Don't worry m'boy, it won't hurt a bit... you can probably compare it to a simple-" Suddenly, they heard a loud roar from outside. "MORBID!!!" The roar was rough and very intimidating. "Oh no..." Morbid’s eyes widened and he shrunk down a little. "Hold on Eranomous…let me deal with this… Don’t do anything." He timidly approached the opening of the tent and poked his head out. "Ye... Yes Famine… how can I hel-" Eranomous watched in horror as Morbid was pulled out of the tent with a yelp. Eranomous backed up. What's going on…what do I do!? He heard Famine roar again. "Deformed dragonet... come out now… or we'll force you out!" "Ouch! Ouch, ouch… Um… Eranomous, do as they say... it’s okay." Morbid was trying to sound as calm as possible. Eranomous quickly put his cloak back on and then stepped out of the tent, not knowing what to expect. The SkyWing froze. ‘Oh no…’ Ahead of him he saw Morbid pinned down surrounded by three SandWings including a very large dragon he assumed was Famine. Famine was very muscular with a barrel chest. His scales were a warm brown with darker freckles on his snout, shoulders, and down his back, and his crest and horns seemed to be nearly black. He wore a very dangerous looking rusted metal blade at the end of his tail that was stained with dry blood. Whatever this dragon was here for, it wasn't good. The fear inside him kept telling him to run, while his body forced him to stay. What are they going to do to him!?' ''Suddenly, two other SandWings he didn’t even notice grabbed him by his front legs and held him in place. “No, let me go!” Eranomous pleaded. "Now that we have the dragonet restrained, where were we?" Famine hissed into Morbid's ear. Morbid laughed uncomfortably. "I'm unsure... you didn't begin... haha… um... what was the problem?" Famine spit on Morbid's snout. "Don’t play dumb… There’s a little rumor flying around that ''you ''are a sneaky little Peacewing freeing dragons who wish for a '''Better Life." Morbid awkwardly laughed again. "Me a Peacewing!? Famine... that's simply not true. I am loyal to you till the end, I promise…" Eranomous could tell how scared he was. ‘He’s shaking like crazy... I can’t tell if Famine believes him or not.’ ''A horrible thought crossed his mind, ''‘Did someone over hear us say Peacewing at the dungeon… or was someone listening to us in Morbid’s tent?’ Famine glanced from Eranomous and back to Morbid. "Okay… Prove it... Kill that deformed freak and I'll let this accusation slide..." Morbid froze for a moment. “But…” He began then stopped shaking his head. "Famine he’s just a dragonet… I can’t… " Before he could finish Famine twisted around and slammed his tail down on Morbid's neck slicing part way through it. "AAAAAAHHH NNNNOOOO PLEEEAASSE FAMINE!!! NNOOOOO!!!" “Morbid, NO!” Eranomous felt the strength leave his limbs and felt his stomach tighten. “No please, don’t kill him!!!” Famine looked unfazed while lifting his bloodied bladed tail out of Morbid’s bleeding neck. "Too many lies Morbid… You know how it is." He sent his tail down again, this time sending the rusted blade all the way through to the sand below. "NOOO!!!" Eranomous watched as Morbid's body continued to flinch uncontrollably in a pond of blood and his head rolled off to the side with a blank expression. Eranomous felt like he was back in a nightmare. This can't be happening! This can't be real... This can't be real! "Take that thing back to the cell with the others! We kill them all tonight... I haven’t eaten IceWing or SeaWing in a long time." Famine ordered, chuckling to himself. The two SandWing's holding Eranomous nodded and began to drag him off. ‘They’re going to eat us!?’ Eranomous began to struggle as best as he could, but it didn't seem to be doing anything. The SandWing's ignored his pleas and very quickly pulled him back to the cell. "Step back!" One of them ordered to the other dragons in the cell, he then unlocked the door and threw Eranomous to the cell floor. Weed rushed to his side. "Era are you okay!? What happened, whose blood is that!?" But before he could respond, part of the cell roof exploded. ~~~~~~~~ ' Chapter 9: Krona' Krona shook her head and lowered herself to the ground. "Ah!... Sorry... I just…" Gneiss jumped from his throne towards her. "Krona, I think you should take a break... You don’t w ant to overexert yourself!" He sounded very concerned. "If you keep going like this you're going to hurt yourself." "I'm sure she knows her limits, Gneiss." Adenium said seeming a tad ticked off by him. Gneiss narrowed his eyes at the SandWing. “Her own Mother didn’t even know her limits! How can you expect her to?” He looked back to the IceWing. “Please Krona… don’t push it…” Krona looked into the SeaWing's eyes. How did such a kind dragon end up in this group? "Thank you Gneiss, your concern means a lot to me, but it's not exhaustion this time... it's Weed’s memories..." Gneiss tilted his head. "Of course dear... but what do you mean?" The IceWing felt tears forming in her eyes. "Weed's emotions take over this scene..." All of the dragons in the room remained quiet. Adenium sat forward. "What do you mean... take over?" Something seemed to spark in his eyes. Krona sighed. "While I am recalling someone's memories... different dragons memories can cut in… taking over the perspective. Weed's memories... cut in here." The SandWing nodded. "I see… that makes sense… Well then,” He clapped his talons together loudly and laughed. “I guess continue from her memories." ‘I swear this guy gets creepier and creepier by the second… I wonder if it’s because of…’ Gneiss lowered his head. “I think you should rest… but if you wish to continue… I can’t stop you.” The SeaWing sighed heavily and went back to his throne. Krona closed her eyes, "Alright, I'll continue..." ‘Well I can’t ask for Weed… that never seems to work… so I’ll just let it take over…’ ''She cleared her mind and took a deep breath ''‘Eranomous...' When her eyes opened again they were glowing fiery orange for a brief moment, but then they flicked to bright pink. §''' '''Weed Weed began coughing unsure of what was going on, She could hear other explosions going off in other parts of town. Clams I can't see with all this dust in the air... that's odd... we’re trapped again… and these explosions are randomly going off, just like at Burn's Stronghold. This can’t be a coincidence.' ''The SeaWing began feeling around trying to find anyone, she quickly felt someone’s side. "Era, is that you?" She heard him cough a few times before he responded. "Yeah... I can’t see through all this dust…” Weed breathed a sigh of relief. "Good you're okay. Krona, Sky, Dust... are you okay!?" As the dust settled, she quickly realized the roof collapsed sectioning her and Eranomous off from the others. Weed noticed Krona looking through the rubble. "Weed! We're fine, that bomb blew a hole right through most of the wall over here... but the Outclaws are swarming all around, so we can't fly over this place to get to you two." The SeaWing nodded understandingly. "It's okay, you three get out of here. Era and I will find another way out then find you." "Weed, the gate behind you looks like it broke open." Skylis pointed out. “You can get out through there.” Weed looked back seeing the gate laying bent and broken on the ground."Yeah okay, we'll see you three soon… Be safe.” Skylis and Dustdevil quickly climbed through the hole, but Krona reluctantly turned around and walked towards the hole. “Eranomous… You make sure nothing happens to her.” She only hesitated for a second more before she climbed out and disappeared from sight. Eranomous stood up shaking pebbles off himself. "Weed I won’t let anything happen to you... but I need to get something from Morbid's tent..." "Huh?" Weed tilted her head. "What do you need to get?" '''We really gotta get out of here... but if it's important to Era... then I want to help him. "He made bones for my wings..." He began then stopped himself, looking blankly through her. “Morbid…” Weed recognized the look in his eyes, She recalled seeing her own reflection after she lost her friend, Turf. He looks how I did after I saw Turf get ripped apart… They must’ve killed Morbid... right in front of him... Eranomous sighed. "Morbid’s tent is right next to the open desert… so we can grab the wings and go." “Sounds like a plan.” Weed quickly glanced outside and looked up and down the alley. "Okay, it looks clear. Lead the way, Era." The SkyWing nodded and exited the cell. Weed followed Eranomous down the alleyway, hearing wing beats everywhere. She looked up to the sky, seeing dragons flying every which way and past them, horrible black smoke was engulfing the sky. What is going on here? Eranomous stopped her with his tail. "Wait!" They stood there for a few moments, Weed knew better then to ask questions during an escape plan so she remained quiet. "Okay, it’s clear." The SkyWing ran horizontally across the empty road to another alleyway. Weed made sure to stay on his heels. "It’s just over here...” Eranomous stopped, looking mortified. “No!" Weed covered her mouth. “Oh no, the tent!” Ahead of them, the tent was in flames. “Era we should just…” Before she could finish, Eranomous bolted towards the burning tent frantically. Oh no... Era... Weed slowly approached the tent. "Why does it have to be like this?” She shook her head then noticed something in the corner of her eye. When she looked over she spotted Morbid's decapitated body, "Clams...! No... oh… why?" Brief images of her friend flashed through her head. ~~~ Weed watched in horror as Turf’s rear legs ripped from her body, her unique red-orange scales were now stained with her own blood. “TURF NOOOO!!!” Weed shrieked, as the room erupted in laughter. BlackInk laughed, pulling her leash tighter. “Oh poor Weed… You should’ve known better than to get attached to that girl…she just couldn’t behave herself, so she deserves to die at the tentacles of this beast.” Turf looked up and locked eyes with Weed, her usually strong powerful purple eyes were now filled with nothing but fear. “Weed... Help ME PLeASE!!!” Tears gushed from Weed’s eyes as she pulled on her leash, trying to get closer to the pit her friend was suffering in. “Turf!!! Please Master, stop this please I beg you! I’ll do anything you say if you just spare her, PLEASE!” “Oh really, you impudent little Weed! You are my pet, I can already make you do anything I want… so that was a poor case to plead.” BlackInk chuckled amusedly. “But I’m entertained by your pitiful gesture…” He thought for a moment. “This is fair, if you can pull her out before the beast can kill her… then she can live.” Weed nodded. “Thank you, Master.” She quickly rushed to the side of the pit and reached out her talons. “Turf crawl to me!!!” The crowd up roared in more laughs, saying things like, “Look, BlackInk’s pet is trying to save that worthless chunk of meat!” and “Hahaha this is priceless, I hope they both die!” Turf dragged herself towards the edge, trailing blood in her wake. “WeED… I.. DON’t wAnt tO dIE LIkE tHis!” “I’ll pull you out, just grab my claw!!!” Weed stretched herself as far as she could, desperate to save her. The red-orange SeaWing grabbed Weed’s claw and screamed. “PuLL ME oUt, PleaSe!” Weed began to pull with all her might, but Turf was too heavy. “Turf you have to flap your wings!” The little SeaWing glanced behind her friend noticing more tentacles sliding out from the darkness. “Come on!!!” The tentacles began to grab onto Turf’s tail and waist, squeezing her tightly. “NoO WeED I DON’T WaNT TO-!!!” Before she could continue the tentacles began to rip her apart aggressively. “AAAAAAHHHH!!!” Blood splashed all over Weed, but she refused to give up. “TURF NO!!! I’M SO SORRY!!!” Then Weed pulled back one more time and fell onto her back. The cave exploded with ear shattering laughter and screams. Weed sat up still gripping her friend’s claw, but the rest of her was nowhere to be seen. The little SeaWing began shaking her head in disbelief. “No, NO, NO!!!! TURF!!!” Weed dropped the claw and retreated back to her master sobbing. “Why!? Why are you doing this!? BlackInk patted her on the head. “Oh my poor little Weed…The Strong rule over the weak, it’s that simple.” ~~~ "Why... Why is this world like this!?" She shut her eyes, holding back her tears, and stepped into the tent. When she got in, Weed saw Eranomous was standing still staring at two burning wings strapped to the tent wall. "No... no... my wings..." Eranomous cried helplessly. Weed glanced around at the burning supplies and thought of an idea. "Look leather bags, we can save some of the scrolls and supplies... we might be able to make our own wings with the supplies when we find the Peacewings!" Eranomous lowered his head in defeat. Weed placed a talon on his shoulder. "Era, it might not be what you wanted... but it's the only other option." The SkyWing nodded his head. "Yeah... you're right Weed." He smiled at her thoughtfully. Weed smiled back at him. "Let's grab as much as we can before everything is gone." Both dragons grabbed a leather pack and began shoveling scrolls and supplies inside''. 'At least we'll get away with something.' She looked over to Eranomous after her bag was filled. "Mine's filled, yours?" Eranomous shoved the axe hammer tail topper into his bag, then nodded to Weed. "Mine's full." “Great, let’s go!” Weed dashed from the tent, eyes watering from the smoke. '''Yuck... I don't like smoke...' Then she heard Eranomous roar from behind her. "No, Weed move!" But his warning was too late. She felt something sharp jab her in the side. "Ouch! Oh, No!" Weed back up, blinking her vision clear to see a several hissing SandWings ahead of her. She quickly glanced at her side, realizing she had been stung by one of their barbs. "No!" She couldn't think of what else she could say, her world felt like it was crumbling. How... could I let this happen... What was the point of it all? Excruciating pain coursed through her side causing her to fall to the sand. “Aaahhh…” "NNNNOOOOOOO!" Eranomous roared. Weed strained to look back seeing fire aggressively bursting from Eranomous' mouth, throat, and claws. "Era..." It finally occurred to her why his throat looked the way it did. That's why his throat looks like that... it’s like his fire is burning him from the inside out… but why… what is he?' ''The fire from his mouth shot over her, melting the SandWings to their bones in a matter of moments. The fire ceased and Eranomous rushed to her side, looking more burnt up then before. "Weed... You can't die... I can't lose you!" Tears poured from his eyes. "Era... I don't want to die here..." Weed whimpered, clutching at his slightly singed cloak. Eranomous lowered to the sand and pulled her closer to himself. "Weed, get on my back..." The small SeaWing began pulling herself up onto the SkyWing's back, feeling the throb of her wound worsen, stinging like a dragon's teeth sinking deep into her insides. "Era, it hurts!" "I know.... I'm so sorry... this is all my fault." He raised himself up, ready to run. "Hold on tight, I'm getting you out of here..." Weed managed to wrap her front legs around the SkyWing's neck tightly. "Era..." She shut her eyes tightly, feeling the rhythmic motions of his body working its way through the sand. The SeaWing couldn't help but cry, fearing her life was coming to a premature end. '''BlackInk can't be right... The world can't be this horrible... I could see peace in my friends eyes... the desire for a life away from the dragons who insist to make conflict. I felt what life could be, when I looked into Era's eyes... I felt more love then I could've ever imagined. I felt that I love him... and now life is pulling him away from me... When Weed opened her eyes she realized they were a good distance away from BlackTalon Pass. Eranomous slowed his pace to a walk. "Weed... I don't know what to do now... How do I help you?" Weed winced. "Can you... put me down here..." Eranomous came to a complete stop and lowered himself to the sand, allowing the SeaWing to slip off. "Weed..." He quickly turned to face her. "I can't lose you..." "I can't lose you either Era..." Tears streamed from her eyes. This hurts... and I'm becoming dizzy... I can't think straight. Weed felt herself beginning to panic. Calm down Weed!' ''"Era... Calm me down please... just talk to me... like before." Eranomous took a deep breath and laid down next to her. "Weed..." He gently stroked her face with his rough talons. "I love you Weed, I've wanted to tell you that... ever since that morning." Despite the pain she was in, she felt her heart warm. "Era... I love you too." She giggled then coughed, still feeling smoke in her lungs. Eranomous stroked her tears away and smiled. "From the moment I saw you... I thought you were the most beautiful dragon in the world... I love everything about you... your eyes remind me of the beautiful sunsets I used to watch with my family... I could get lost in your eyes for days... Weed." Weed giggled and cringed, feeling sharp pain again. "Oh... Era, I wish... we could've had more time together... but I can honestly say... these have been the best days of my life... knowing You, Krona, Skylis... and getting to know Earthquake for the short time I could. You all showed me the world can be different…" Eranomous let out a sob. "Weed... knowing you has been my life..." He stroked down her neck. “Before you entered my life there was nothing…” Weed cupped his face and rubbed her snout on his. "Oh, Era, I know I'm going to see you again... I have a strong feeling about that." Eranomous nodded, wiping his eyes. "Yeah... you really... think so..." Weed nodded. "I do..." She paused for moment breathing deeply. "Eranomous... hold me... and never let me go." Eranomous pulled her close and entwined his tail with hers. "I'll never let you go... I promise..." Weed listened to Eranomous’ heart beat. '''I love him so much… I can't die... §''' Krona collapsed to the ground crying. "Weed... I should've been there to protect you..." She suddenly felt Gniess' strong talon on her shoulder. "Come on Krona... you need rest. You've overexerted yourself." The large SeaWing lifted her to her feet and began ushering her out of the room. Adenium called after them with a sigh. "We’ll continue this after a short rest... I guess." Krona couldn't stop sobbing. 'Weed... What happened after that SandWing took you away? Why couldn't he save you? Why did I feel you die and yet I can’t freely call your memories to me?' '' Gneiss led her into the room she had awoken in before and laid her down. "You poor dear... surely you've had to deal with too much." His voice soothed her nerves a little. Krona looked up at Gneiss' concerned face, trying to calm herself down. He took a deep breath and shushed her gently, "Shhhh... breathe Krona... breathe." The IceWing breathed in and out slowly, mentally telling herself to calm down. ''‘Krona… you gotta calm down…’ Gneiss smiled warmly down at her. "Very good Krona, you need to rest your mind... and your body. Your Mother strained herself too much as well, just because she wanted to meet Adenium's ridiculous expectations." He removed his cloak and laid it over her like a blanket. "Don't feel like you have to show off to anyone." Krona couldn't help but blush at this gesture. '''He's letting me use his cloak as a cover!? She looked down, feeling embarrassed. "Gneiss..." ‘Uggh… why do I feel so perverted near this guy?’ "It's okay Krona, just get some rest." He gave her another smile then began to turn away. "Wait Gneiss... can you stay?” Krona was blushing even more now, but she also feared the thought of sitting alone. “Maybe just... lie next to me... I just don't want to be alone right now." ‘I’ve spent so much of my life alone… I’m so tired of being alone…’ Gneiss looked surprised. "Oh, um...Alright." he circled around her and laid down, warming Krona's back. Krona felt herself calm down. ‘Gneiss…you make me feel safe...’ She felt like she could finally lay her head down. "Thank you, Gneiss." ~~~ In Krona’s dreams she saw images of Weed breathing slowly on a little bed, seemingly unconscious, and a SandWing feeding her. Krona recognized this dream, she had dreamt it numerous times before, but couldn't make sense of it. She always passed it off as wishful thinking; after all, she knew Weed was dead. She had felt it. ~~~ When Krona awoke she heard Gneiss snoring quietly behind her. She shook the dream out of her mind and focused on the world around her, listening to Gneiss' snores. Why do I find him snoring... kind of... adorable? She took a deep breath to clear her mind of those perverted thoughts, but then realized she completely smelt like SeaWing. Oh Three Moons, this is too much!' ''She rose to her feet blushing like crazy and left the room. '''Krona get a grip... She briskly headed back to the conference room, eager to distract herself from her thoughts. When Krona entered the room she noticed it was empty. Wow... I honestly expected the others to still be waiting here. Suddenly, she heard a sigh from behind the curtain to the balcony. "Hello?" The IceWing called out. Krona stepped past the curtain to see Jackelot staring out at the night sky and vast mountainous view. "Oh hey Jackelot... I didn't expect to see you here." Jackelot barely looked over his shoulder at her. "Hey Krona..." He sighed heavily again. Krona raised a brow sitting down next to him. "Sheesh, something is obviously stressing you out. Mind if I ask what?" The SandWing cracked a smile at her, but quickly erased it. "It's my Father... I always feel like... I’m not reaching his expectations. I wish for once he would say, Good work Son... you did a good job." He lashed his tail. "But he always just pins me for everything I did wrong... It just makes me so... so..." He threw his head down and hissed. Hmm, maybe this is why he always seems upset. Krona shrugged her wings. "I wish I could say I knew how that was... but I didn't know my parents very long... so." Jackelot lowered his body, resting his chin on one of the boulders blocking the edge. "I sometimes wish I wasn't born into the Peacewings... that I could've had a choice of what I wanted to be… maybe I would’ve had a better father… one that simply wanted me to pledge loyalty to a queen... and do good unto her.” Krona understood that feeling. If'' I had been born in the IceWing society then maybe I would be happier today...’ She thought about that for a moment then shook her head. '''Then I never would've met my friends...' ''She wasn't sure what thought was more painful, the thought of never knowing her friends or the thought of knowing them and living with the pain of their deaths. Her thoughts were interrupted by Adenium calling out from behind. "Krona, so happy to see you up. Just letting you know, we are all ready to continue whenever you are." '''Sheesh... He found me quickly... Krona looked back. "Okay, I'll be right there." She patted Jackelot's talon. "Maybe things will turn around soon..." He gave her a weak smile and she began back towards the room. Krona tripped on the SandWing’s tail and quickly caught her balance. “Whoops, sorry Jack.” Then something about his tail caught her eye. A deep bite scar near the end of it. Krona's heart froze, realizing she recognized it. "Whoa... that's a gnarly scar, how'd you get it?" She asked dryly. Jackelot quickly tucked his tail under his cloak and hissed. "It’s nothing special." He narrowed his eyes at her then turned back to the distant mountains. Krona took a deep breath, I'm almost done telling Eranomous' Story... I wonder what they'll say... when they know, that I know. She raised her head high and entered the room. "I'm ready to continue." She quickly made her way to her seat and got comfortable, looking over all the tribe leaders. "This will be the final part... I already know that there are strong emotions in this part... so do not be surprised if and when the perspectives change on their own." She explained. Mandrake grunted, Gneiss nodded, and Adenium smiled wryly. "Go ahead, dear Vehement... we shall not interrupt you." The SandWing interjected. Krona closed her eyes. Eranomous when her eyes opened they were once again fiery. Krona opened her mouth and let the words spill out. ‘No more interruptions… this is it… the last part.’ "Outside BlackTalon Pass." ~~~~~~~~ Next part: https://fjh-wings-of-fire-fanclub.fandom.com/wiki/Eranomous'_Story_Part_Five